Kory Buras clocked out of his job at an assisted living facility near Covington about 3 p.m. Wednesday and wanted nothing more than a shower, a meal and to sleep until work the next day. But as he climbed into his truck, the 23-year-old gazed out of his windshield as a lightning bolt struck and ignited the roof of Village in the Oaks retirement community on Louisiana 1081.

Kory Buras

"It literally exploded the roof," Buras, a facility maintenance employee, recalled Thursday. "Shingles were flying in the air. My first thought instantly was, 'Did I just see that? Did that just happen?'"

Quickly collecting himself, Buras leapt out of his truck, charged into the building and used a fire extinguisher to douse the blaze in the attic before it spread.

"This could have been a much worse situation, with more severe damage, injury or even loss of life," Deputy Chief Stephen Krentel of St. Tammany Parish's 12th Fire Protection District said. "The good fortune of having Mr. Buras witness the lightning strike and his rapid response ... made all the difference in the outcome."

After the lightning strike, Buras said his mind turned to the 30 or so residents in the facility. He rushed inside and told a fellow facility staff member to call 911. He went to an activity hall where residents were playing bingo, explained what had happened, and asked everyone to move to the front of the building.

"They're pretty serious about their bingo, so I hated to interrupt them," Buras joked.

Buras then grabbed a ladder and extinguisher. He climbed into the attic, sprayed the flames and had largely extinguished the four-square-foot blaze when firefighters arrived moments later to check for hidden hotspots and carry out other remaining tasks.

On Thursday, Village in the Oaks Director Donna Baldus praised Buras, whom she hired about five months ago.

"He was so calm and just did what he had to do," Baldus said. "(That) really prevented a major catastrophe."

Buras, for his part, explained, "I'm just very glad none of the residents were injured in any way. That's the bottom line. I care about these people."